Institute
Patron Dr. Dr. hc. mult. Jane Goodall (Dame of the British Empire), Biologist
and UNO-Peace Ambassador with Dr. Rainer Hagencord in October 2004
Dr.
Rainer Hagencord
born 1961 in Ahlen (Westphalia) studied Theology
in Münster and Fribourg (Switzerland) between 1980 and 1985. He was ordained in
1987 and after four years of counselling he continued his studies of Biology in
Münster. He focused on Behavioural Biology.
During 1996 and 2000 he
worked as a college pastor in Münster and there established the dialogue between
Theology and Biology. In this context the topic of his PhD thesis was born. Professor
Dr. Norbert Sachser (Institute of Neurobiology and Behavioural Biology) as well
as Professor Dr. Dr. habil. Klaus Müller (Seminar for fundamental philosophical
questions of Theology) agreed to supervice the thesis without hesitation.
The examination of this topic was intensified during a research stay at the Institute
of Neurobiology and Behavioural Biology in Münster in 2002.
The PhD
thesis (title:"The animal: A Challenge for Christian Anthropology. Arguments for
a Change of Perspectice from a Theological and Behavioural Biologist view") was
accepted in 2004.
The thesis has been published in third edition
(title: "Diesseits von Eden. Verhaltensbiologische und theoligische Argumente
für eine neue Sicht der Tiere"). Dr. Dr. hc. mult. Jane Goodall, besides of Diane
Fossey the World's most important primatologist, moreover UNO-ambassador and founder
of the Jane-Goodall Institute, was so kind to write the foreword. Since 2004 Jane
Goodall and Rainer Hagencord maintain friendly contact, so that she kindly agreed
to take up patronage for the Institute as well as to participate in the opening
ceremony of the Institute in Münster at Dec 15th 2009.